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Investigators focus on cockpit decision in Asiana crash

By Joan Lowy and Martha MendozaThe Associated Press

Posted:
07/09/2013 12:01:00 AM MDT

Updated:
07/09/2013 02:11:08 AM MDT

National Transportation Security Board investigators conduct a first site assessment overnight of the Asiana Airlines flight 214 that crashed at the San Francisco International Airport Saturday. (Provided by NTSB)

SAN FRANCISCO — Investigators trying to understand why Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash-landed focused Monday on the actions of an experienced pilot learning his way around a new aircraft, fellow pilots who were supposed to be monitoring him and why no one noticed that the plane was coming in more than 37 mph slower than the minimum recommended approach speed.

The airline acknowledged Monday in Seoul that the pilot at the controls had flown a Boeing 777 for only 43 hours and had never before landed a plane of its type at the San Francisco International Airport.

Authorities also reviewed the initial rescue efforts after fire officials acknowledged that one of their trucks may have run over one of the two Chinese teenagers killed in the crash. The students were the accident's only fatalities.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman said investigators watched airport surveillance video to determine whether an emergency vehicle hit one of the students. But they have not reached any firm conclusions. A coroner said he would need at least two weeks to rule in the matter.

The students had been in the rear of the aircraft, where many of the most seriously injured passengers were seated, Hersman said.

The NTSB also said part of the jet's tail section was found in San Francisco Bay, and debris from the seawall was carried several hundred feet down the runway, indicating the plane hit the seawall on its approach.

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Investigators have said Flight 214 was flying "significantly below" its target speed during approach when the crew tried to abort the landing just before the plane smashed onto the runway. Authorities do not know yet whether the pilot's inexperience with the Boeing 777 and landing it at San Francisco's airport played a role.

Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said pilot Lee Gang-Guk had logged nearly 10,000 hours operating other planes but had only 43 hours in the 777, a plane she said he was still getting used to.

This aerial photo shows the wreckage of the Asiana Flight 214 airplane after it crashed at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP | Marcio Jose Sanchez)

It's not unusual for veteran pilots to learn about new aircraft by flying with more experienced colleagues. Another pilot on the flight, Lee Jeong-Min, had 12,390 hours of flying experience, including 3,220 hours on the 777, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in South Korea.

Lee Jeong-Min was the deputy pilot helping Lee Gang-Guk get accustomed to the 777, according to Asiana Airlines.

It was unclear whether the other two pilots were in the cockpit, which in the Boeing 777 typically seats four. But that would be standard procedure at most airlines at the end of a long international flight.

NTSB lead investigator Bill English said pilot interviews were going slowly because of the need for translation. The interviews began only after agents from the Korean Aviation and Rail Accident Investigation Board arrived from South Korea.

New details of the investigation have also raised questions about whether the pilots may have been so reliant on automated cockpit systems that they failed to notice the plane's airspeed had dropped dangerously low, aviation safety experts and other airline pilots said.

Information gleaned from the Boeing 777's flight-data recorders revealed a jet that appeared to be descending normally until the last half-minute before impact.

The autopilot was switched off at about 1,600 feet as the plane began its final descent, according to an account of the last 82 seconds of flight provided by Hersman.

Over the next 42 seconds, the plane appeared to descend normally, reaching about 500 feet and slowing to 134 knots (154 mph), a 777 pilot for a major airline familiar with Hersman's description told The Associated Press. The pilot spoke on the condition of anonymity because his company had not authorized him to speak publicly.

But something went wrong during the following 18 seconds as the plane continued to slow well below the target speed of 137 knots (158 mph) that is typical for crossing the runway threshold.

Finally the throttles were moved forward, an apparent attempt by the pilot to increase speed. But it was too little, too late.

A key question raised by the NTSB's account is why two experienced pilots — the pilot flying the plane and another supervising pilot in the other seat — apparently didn't notice the plane's airspeed problem.

Part of the answer to that question may lie in whether the pilot flying, after switching off the autopilot, still had the plane's autothrottle engaged during the descent.

Aviation safety experts have long warned that an overreliance on automation is contributing to an erosion of pilots' stick-and-rudder flying skills. It's too soon to say if that was the case in the Asiana crash, but it's something NTSB investigators will be exploring, they said.

More than 180 people aboard the plane went to hospitals with injuries. But remarkably, 305 of 307 passengers and crew survived, and more than a third didn't even require hospitalization.

But the survivors have a surprising pattern of spine injuries that shows how violently they were shaken despite wearing seat belts,
said Dr. Geoffrey Manley, neurosurgery chief at San Francisco General Hospital.

The flight originated in Shanghai, China, and stopped over in Seoul, South Korea, before making the nearly 11-hour trip to San Francisco.

NTSB investigators are also sure to examine whether pilot fatigue played a role in the accident. As is typical for long flights, four pilots were aboard, allowing the crew to take turns flying and resting. But pilots who regularly fly long routes say it's difficult to get restful sleep on planes.

The accident occurred in the late morning in San Francisco, but in Seoul it was 3:37 a.m.

Victims hoped to attend a U.S. college

The two 16-year-old girls killed in the San Francisco plane crash were close friends and top students who were on Asiana Flight 214 for the same reason: to practice their English and hopefully boost their chances of attending a U.S. college. The two had been classmates for the past four years at a Jiangshan school known for its students' high academic caliber.

Wang Linjia showed talent in physics and calligraphy. She was from Zhejiang, in eastern China.

"She was very keen to learn. Every time she came home, she would be studying. Very rarely did she go out and play," Xia was quoted as saying. She said Wang's father proudly displayed her calligraphy and art pieces on the walls of his office.

Ye Mengyuan was a top student who excelled in literature, playing the piano, singing and gymnastics. The Youth Times said Ye recently won a national gymnastics competition and routinely received honors at the school's annual speech contests. September Mao, who attends the girls' school, said Ye was a very good singer and speaker, "loved to smile, and liked to share everything and anything that is happy."

The Associated Press

Countdown to crash

A preliminary review of the crash by U.S. investigators turns up the following:

82 seconds

At 1,600 feet, the autopilot is disengaged, a normal procedure.

73

At 1,400 feet, the plane's speed is 170 knots (196 mph).

34

At 500 feet, the speed has dropped to 154 mph, just below the optimal landing speed of 158 mph.

16

At 200 feet, the plane is traveling at 136 mph.

8 At an altitude of 125 feet, there's a call in the cockpit for additional speed and the throttles begin moving forward. The plane is traveling at about 129 mph.

4

The stick shaker, a yolk the pilots hold, begins vibrating, indicating the plane could stall.

3

The plane is traveling at 119 mph, the slowest speed recorded by the flight data recorder. The engines begin increasing power from 50 percent.

1.5

From the cockpit comes a call to abort the landing and go around for another try.

CRASH

The plane, traveling at 122 mph, clips a seawall at the end of the runway and then slams down on the runway. The controller declares an emergency, and rescue vehicles are deployed.

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